Abstract: An image forming apparatus including at least one image bearing member configured to bear a toner image on a surface thereof, and a transferring member arranged close to or in contact with the at least one image bearing member and configured to rotate in substantially synchronism with the at least one image bearing member to transfer the toner image born on the at least one image bearing member onto a recording medium. The apparatus further includes at least one first motor rotating the at least one image bearing member, a second motor rotating the transferring member, and a control mechanism configured to control a rotation number of at least one of the at least one first motor and the second motor during at least one of rise and fall time periods with a command clock signal and a feedback signal in accordance with a predetermined velocity curve.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus body, an image carrier for carrying a latent image on its surface, and a developing device for developing the latent image to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. A removable member is removably mounted to the apparatus body and positioned in the apparatus body such that a distance between the removable member and a surrounding member around it varies when the removable member is being mounted to or dismounted from the apparatus body. A frame surrounds at least one of the removable member and surrounding member. A contact member contacts, when the removable member is being mounted to or dismounted from the apparatus body, the frame to thereby determine a distance between the removable member and the surrounding member.

Abstract: To provide a printing apparatus capable of preventing a extraordinary rising of temperature from happening even if a cooling ability is lowered with respect to objects to be cooled. In the printing apparatus, a host device 1 is connected with a system bus 3 via an interface 2, in a system bus 3, a processor 4, a program ROM 5, a working memory 6, a font ROM 7, an image memory 8 and a print engine interface 9 are connected, on the print engine interface 9, a print engine 20 is connected, further, the processor 4 has a function to change into a low consumption electricity mode, and has a low consumption electricity changing register 41.

Abstract: A remanufactured toner cartridge comprising a toner hopper, a developer roller housing, end caps holding the waste bin and developer roller in a fixed position with respect to each other, and a seal assembly.

Abstract: An oxidation catalyst device for a wet-type electrophotographic image forming apparatus and method of controlling the same are provided. The oxidation catalyst device includes a duct for guiding air inside a fixation device to the outside of the fixation device. The oxidation catalyst device further includes a fan for forcibly discharging the air inside of the fixation device, a heater for heating the air discharged from the fixation device, and an oxidation catalyst device-carrying body for facilitating oxidation resolution reaction of the carrier vapors entrained in the discharged air. The fan is driven at a first rotational speed of N1, during which the oxidation catalyst carrying body is warmed up, and a second rotational speed of N2, during which carrier vapors are heated and resolved.

Abstract: To prevent degradation in printing precision with low cost even when a toner container is exposed to a high-temperature atmosphere, the toner container includes a resin molded article having a heat-insulating layer in it. The toner container may be multilayered, wherein at least one layer is a resin material including a heat-insulating material. The toner container may also be a resin molded article including a foam layer. The toner container may have a toner-filled-side surface, which is a fine-discontinuous-microstructure surface and a surface thereof not in contact with the toner, which is a smooth surface.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a cartridge is detachably mountable for forming an image on a recording medium. The apparatus includes a main body electrical contact member having a main body electrical contact electrically connected to a cartridge electrical contact to supply electric power to an electric power supplied member of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body. The main body electrical contact is movable relative to the apparatus main body. The apparatus also includes an electrical contact cover member having an exposed portion for exposing the main body electrical contact, and covering the main body electrical contact member, and attached to the main body electrical contact member so that the exposed portion is movable relative to the main body electrical contact member. The electrical contact cover member is moved so that the two contacts are electrically connected together in the exposed portion.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for fusing developer are disclosed. In one embodiment. a developer fuser has a first heating element for transferring energy. The developer fuser may have a second heating element for transferring energy. The developer fuser may have a controller, controlling at least one of power to, current through, frequency to, resonance of, inductance of, voltage across, and temperature at the first heating element and the second heating element, for fusing a developer to a media. The at least one of power to, current through, frequency to, resonance of, inductance of, voltage across, and temperature at the first heating element is different in magnitude from the at least one of power to, current through, frequency to, resonance of, inductance of, voltage across, and temperature at the second heating element.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotating member, a motor configured to rotate the rotating member, and a marking member having primary and secondary portions. The image forming apparatus also includes a mark sensor configured to detect the primary and secondary portions, and output a primary signal and a secondary signal, and a position sensor configured to determine a rotational position of the rotating member based on a primary reception time of one of the primary and secondary signals that comes immediately after the other of the primary and secondary signals when the position sensor receives the other of the primary and secondary signals at a start of a mark detecting operation. Further, the image forming apparatus includes a motor controller configured to control the motor based on the recognition result and make the rotational position consistent with a target position at a predetermined time during the mark detecting operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reference-pattern detecting transfer-body, a reference-pattern detecting unit, and a condition changing unit. The reference-pattern detecting transfer-body directly transfers a reference pattern image formed on an intermediate transfer body without a recording material. The reference-pattern detecting unit detects an optical reference pattern with respect to the image transferred onto the reference-pattern detecting transfer-body. The condition changing unit changes the image forming conditions based on a result of detection.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image formation unit for forming a toner image on a recording material to be carried by the recording material; a fixing apparatus having a heat-fixing rotation member and a pressure member with an elastic layer which rotate while pressed against each other, the heat-fixing rotor providing heat for heat-fixing treatment of the toner image formed on the recording material as the recording material is introduced into a press-fit nip portion of the rotors and held and transported between the rotors; and temperature adjusting means for adjusting a temperature of the pressure rotor by heating the pressure rotor at least during non-printing time. Thus, the image forming apparatus can achieve, even when the pressure rotor is heated, the best balance between the fixing performance and service life of the pressure rotor under actual use conditions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising an image carrier for carrying an image, an intermediate transfer body to which the image on the image carrier is transferred, a transfer material conveying unit for conveying a transfer material along a conveyance route, a transfer unit for transferring the image on the intermediate transfer body onto the transfer material conveyed by the transfer material conveying unit, a delivery portion for delivering the transfer material, a first openable portion, openable with respect to an apparatus body, for holding the intermediate transfer body and the delivery portion, and a second openable portion openable to expose the conveyance route. The first and second openable portions are opened and closed independently from each other.

Abstract: An amount of toner adhered to a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum using decolorizing toner when forming an image is controlled to 0.75 (mg/cm2) or below. As a result, a toner image formed on a paper is erased satisfactorily for the purpose of reusing the paper and the image density remaining on the paper is lowered.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which a cartridge is detachably mountable for forming an image on a recording medium, having a main body electrical contact member having a main body electrical contact electrically connected to a cartridge electrical contact of the cartridge in order to supply electric power to an electric power supplied member of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the main body electrical contact being movable relative to the apparatus main body, and an electrical contact cover member having an exposed portion for exposing the main body electrical contact, and covering the main body electrical contact member, and attached to the main body electrical contact member so that the exposed portion is movable relative to the main body electrical contact member, wherein in operative association with the operation of mounting the cartridge on the apparatus main body, the electrical contact cover member is moved relative to the main body electrical

Abstract: A printer system using inks, toners or developers with solvents therein is provided with a detector for volatile organic compounds assists in reducing potential accidents in the printer. The detector may be able to identify at least a threshold level of volatile organic in a gas phase in the printer, or may be able to identify various levels or a continuous metered level of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). An automatic warning, automatic signal, or even automatic cutoff function may be associated with the detector. The detector may be inside the printer or associated with a vent or generally positioned on or near the printer. One mode of detection operation described in detail is identification of changes in dielectric constant in a vapor phase or vapor stream that can be associated with changed levels of VOC in that phase or stream.

Abstract: An apparatus for assisting in the removal or waste or excess ink and a method for disposal of ink from electrophotographic printers comprises providing electrophotographic ink from a source, combining the ink with an absorbable material in a container to form a solid within the container, and closing the container so that the container with the solid inside may be disposed of without ink flowing from the container.

Abstract: Embodiments herein generally relate to printing systems and methods that use toner and more particularly to a system and method that observes the distribution, for different levels of transfer field, of mass per area of toner remaining on the drum/belt as the drum/belt transfers the toner. The distribution is compared to predetermined standards and/or other networked printing systems to evaluate characteristics of the toner. Actuators can then be used to improve the toner characteristics resulting in improved print quality within a printing system and improved printing consistency between internally or externally networked printing systems and/or marking engines.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus with an image bearing member on which a latent image is formed, with a plurality of developing devices for developing the latent image, each of the developing devices containing developer, and with a turnable turning member on which the plurality of developing devices are mounted. The turning member is caused to turn based on a turn history of the turning member.

Abstract: A sheet nipping mechanism is applied to an image forming apparatus and has a transfer belt for transporting a sheet having a toner image through a photosensitive drum. A fixing roller and a pressure roller are downstream of the transfer belt and are vertically aligned in a paired manner to define a nip zone therebetween for nipping the sheet. A guide is disposed between the nip zone and the downstream end of the transfer belt. The fixing roller has a reverse-crown shape whose diameter is gradually reduced in a direction extending from each of the opposite transverse ends to the central region of the fixing roller. The guide has an edge opposed to the nip zone and is formed in a crown shape conformable to the reverse-crown shape. The sheet nipping mechanism prevents crimples and bouncing of sheet in the nip zone.

Abstract: An image forming method for forming an image on a paper supplied from a paper storage part of an image forming device includes the steps of reading paper information recorded in a radio IC chip attached to a paper provided in the paper storage part, recording information of a reading order of the read paper information in relation to the paper information, by paper information storage member of the image forming device, recording newly read paper information in the paper information storage member, and performing a printing process by using a paper profile based on paper information whose reading order recorded in the paper information storage member is most recent among read paper information, by printing member.